Control system for conveyers



April 5, 1938. E, MO TON 2,113,308,

CONTROL SYSTEM FOR CONVEYERS Filed April 6, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l @j -E 1 46 k April 5, 1938.

J. E. MORTON CONTROL SYSTEM FOR CONVEYERS Filed April 6, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 5, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR, CONVEYERS Application April 6, 1933, Serial No. 664,681

3 Claims.

The invention relates to a control system for conveyers or elevators and particularly is concerned with a control device for storage systems provided for the handling and storing of vehicles and other articles.

It is an object of the invention to provide a control for a conveyer system whereby said conveyer is brought to a standstill upon a predetermined portion thereof reaching a predetermined position.

A further object aims at providing a control system for a conveyer which system operates as an indicator to show relative positions of portions of said conveyer.

A still further object aims at providing a parking tower for motor vehicles with a control permitting the conveying of a vehicle or parking platform over the shortest route to the loading or unloading zone.

It is a further object to provide a control system of the character described, in which a single means permits the selection of a predetermined car or platform placing the conveyer in motion and arresting movement of said conveyer when the selected car or platform has reached the loading zone.

A still further object aims at providing means for preventing the conveyer from being set in motion when the selected car or platform is already at the loading or unloading zone.

With these and many other equally important objects in view which will become apparent from a perusal of the invention, the latter comprises the means described in the following specification, particularly pointed out in the claims forming a part thereof, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a fragmentary elevational view of a parking tower to which my invention has been applied in a more or less diagrammatic manner.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the control and indicator device,

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4. is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

The invention is described in connection with a parking tower for vehicles wherein an endless conveyer is provided with a number of spaced platforms adapted to park vehicles. The invention, however, is not limited to parking towers but may be applied to numerous uses. The parking tower is only described to an extent necessary for an understanding of the invention as it does not per se form a part thereof.

Referring to Fig. 1, generally designates. a parking tower which includes an endless conveyer H trained around sprocket wheels l2 in such manner that the conveyer has vertical runs l3 and M which are connected by horizontal portions so as to travel in a closed path. To the shaft 16 of one of the sprocket wheels i2 is secured another sprocket wheel I! around which is trained a chain It encompassing a wheel l9 on the shaft 20 of a reversible motor 2! whereby the conveyer H may be driven clockwise or counter-clockwise depending on the direction of rotation of said motor.

The conveyer is' provided with a plurality of spaced platforms 22 adapted to receive a motor 15 vehicle and said platforms in the lowermost portion are flush with a loading platform 23 access to which may be had through a door 24.

The combined control and indicating device comprises a box-like structure generally designated by having a bottom 3|, and upstanding therefrom a wall, 32. A partition 33 parallel to the bottom is. secured by angle irons 34 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

A bearing 35 secured to the bottom 3| supports a drive shaft 36 which is provided with a sprocket wheel 31. Another bearing 38 is likewise secured to the bottom and supports an idler shaft 39 provided with a circumferential groove 40 into which extends a screw 4| from the hearing sleeve to maintain the shaft against longitudinal movement but permitting rotary movement.

The shaft 39 carries a sprocket wheel 42 in vertical alignment with sprocket Wheel 3'! and a chain 43 is trained around both wheels.

The bearings 35 and 38 are provided with extensions 44 and 45, respectively, in which are arranged screws 46 provided with lock-nuts 41.

A plate 48 normally parallel to the bottom Si is provided with large openings 49 and 50 to clear the bearings 35 and 38 and has end flanges 5i and 52 at right angles to said plate provided with apertures to receive the ends of pivot screws 4'6 so that the plate which acts as a direction selector plate, hereinafter further explained, may be tilted to a limited extent about the axis defined by the pivot screws 45.

The partition 33 is provided with an elongated opening 53 to expose to view the sprocket chain 43 to which are attached selector buttons 54 corresponding to the number of platforms 22 of the tower or elevator structure used for the storing of vehicles or other articles. In the drawings a parking tower with thirty platforms is shown,

so that thirty selector buttons 54 are provided which are numbered from one to thirty in the same sequence as the tower platforms to identify the same at a glance.

If preferred, of course, other means of identification may be used.

The selector buttons 54 are slidably mounted in bearings 55 secured to the sprocket chain 43 and are equipped with stop pins 56 which upon engagement with the bearing limit the outward movement of the button. The stem 51 is provided at its intermediate portion with a circumferential groove 58 into which is adapted to be pressed a ball 59 under the influence of a spring 60 arranged in a tubular extension Bl of the bearing 55 and pressing at and against said ball while its other end engages a cross pin 62. A spring 63 surrounds the stem 51 and is interposed between the bearing 55 and the head 64 of the button 54. The spring normally holds the selector button in outward position.

The electrical equipment includes power lines 65, 65, a starting switch 61 to start the parking tower in counterclockwise direction and a starting switch 68 for clockwise movement, so that the platforms of either vertical tier is brought down to the loading zone in the shortest possible way.

In addition a stop switch 69 is provided in parallel with a hatch limit switch 10 and similarly a stop switch H in parallel with a hatch limit switch '12 controls movement in the opposite direction.

Door switches 13, M, are provided and must be in closed position before the parking tower can operate in either direction.

In order to permit operation of the parking tower independent of the selector buttons 56, emergency push button switches 15, 16, and T! are provided. Upon depressing switch 15 the parking tower is operated in counter-clockwise direction whereas switch- 13 controls clockwise movement. Switch 1'! permits, upon actuation, instantaneous stopping of the parking tower irrespective of actuation of the selector buttons 54 or switches 15 and Hi.

The circuit is closed by a switch 78 or 19 of standard construction which is operated by a solenoid 80, 8! upon the closing of either starting switch.

The provision of an overload relay 82 is part of the standard equipment and does not per se form a part of the invention.

The control and indicating device is operatively connected with the motor drive by a sprocket wheel 83 which is encompassed by a chain 84 trained around a sprocket wheel 85 fast on a shaft 86 geared to the shaft [6.

To prevent a selector button from being pressed in to the starting position when the corresponding platform is already at the loading zone, a stop 8'! (Figs. 2 and 4) isprovid-ed to lock the push button against inward movement.

The operation of the control and indicating mechanism is as follows:

Assuming that a car parked on platform I1 is desired to be removed, then the corresponding selector button marked I l isfound in the left tier and as shown is one space above the loading or unloading zone. Upon button I! being pushed in, the direction selecting plate 48 is tilted toward the left and contacts with an arm 88 of the starting switch 61 causing the parking tower to move in counter-clockwise direction so that the desired platform is brought to the loading zone in the shortest travel.

Upon release of the selector button the same is pushed outward until the ball 59 enters the groove 58 so that the button is arrested at an intermediate position in which its inner end projects sufficiently to engage an arm of the stop switch 69 and opens the same.

When the parking platform I! reaches the loading zone the hatch limit switch I0 is opened and the parking tower is stopped accurately with the selected platform flush with the loading floor. Attention is called to the fact that the stopping of the parking tower is controlled by the opening of two switches, namely 69 and 10 or 'H and 12.

While the hatch limit switches 10 and 12 are opened by the passing of each platform, yet the parking tower is notstopped until the appertaining stop switch 69 or H is also opened.

When the depressed selector button is returned to original position (with the pin 56 contacting with the bearing) by a slight pull, the stop switch 89 or H is closed and the device is again ready for operation.

While the drawings show a preferred embodiment of the invention various changes, alterations and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

1, therefore, do not limit myself to the details of construction and arrangement, as shown, nor to the use mentioned by way of example, but claim my invention as broadly as the state of the art permits.

I claim:

1. In a circuitous elevator, a plurality of receptacles movable in an endless path, means for selecting any one of said receptacles and causing it to be moved to a predetermined position by the shortest route, said means including control means having a member movable in accordance with the movement of said receptacles, a plurality of operating means on said movable member, one for each of said receptacles, for the purpose of selecting'a desired receptacle, and means responsive to the actuation of any one of said operating means for selectively effecting the movement of said receptacles whereby the selected receptacle moves to the predetermined position by the shortest route.

2. In a circuitous elevator, a plurality of receptacles movable in an endless path, means for selecting any one of said receptacles and causing it to be moved to a predetermined position and stopped thereat, said means including control means, having a member movable in accordance with the movement of said receptacles, a plurality of operating means on said movable member, one for each of said receptacles for the purpose of selecting a desired receptacle, and means responsive to the actuation of said operating means for effecting the movement of the selected receptacle to the predetermined position and the stopping thereof upon its arrival at the predetermined position.

3. In a circuitous elevator, a plurality of receptacles movable in an endless path, means for selecting any one of said receptacles and causing it to be moved to a predetermined position by the shortest route and stopped thereat, said means comprising motive means for moving said receptacles, and control means therefor, including a member movable in accordance with the movement of said receptacles, a plurality of operating means on said movable member, one

for each of said receptacles, for the purpose of selecting a desired receptacle, and means responsive to the actuation of any one of said operating means for selectively eflecting the actuation of said motive means whereby the latter moves the receptacle, thus selected, to the predetermined position by the shortest route and for effecting the stopping of said motive means upon the arrival of the selected receptacle at the predetermined position.

JAMES E. MORTON. 

